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Crossfeed - easier headphone listening
Crossfeed blends a little of each stereo channel into the other, so hard-panned recordings feel less like they're happening inside your head on headphones.
What crossfeed does
With loudspeakers, each of your ears naturally hears both speakers - your left ear picks up the right speaker slightly later and quieter, and the other way around. Headphones remove that: the left channel goes only to your left ear, the right only to your right. On recordings with instruments panned hard to one side, that can feel unnatural - a guitar stuck entirely in one ear, a stereo image that sits inside your skull rather than out in front of you.
Crossfeed gently feeds a small, slightly delayed amount of each channel into the opposite ear, imitating what speakers do in a room. The result is a more relaxed, in-front soundstage and less listening fatigue on tracks that would otherwise feel split apart. It's a comfort feature, not a "better sound" one - it changes how the stereo image is presented, so leave it on only when you like what it does.
When to use it
Reach for crossfeed when:
- You're on headphones - it's a headphone effect.
- You're listening to older or hard-panned recordings - many 1960s and 70s stereo mixes put whole instruments, or the drums, entirely on one side.
- The stereo image feels too wide or fatiguing, like it's happening inside your head.
When not to use it
- On speakers. Your room already provides this blend acoustically, so crossfeed on top of it muddies the image. Turn it off for speaker listening.
- On well-balanced modern mixes, where the stereo image already feels natural - many listeners prefer these completely untouched.
Crossfeed is off by default, so if you'd rather never colour the stereo image, you can simply leave it that way.
Choosing a strength
You can pick how much blend to apply, from a barely-there touch to a firmer one:
- Off - no blend; channels stay fully separated.
- Gentle - a light touch you can comfortably leave on for most listening.
- Moderate - a more noticeable pull toward the centre, good for very hard-panned tracks.
- Strong - the firmest blend, for the most extreme separation.
Start with Gentle and move up only if a particular recording still feels too split.
Is it free?
Yes. Crossfeed is a standard feature, alongside the graphic equalizer and its presets - no upgrade needed to use it.